


Five Times Baz Startled Simon, and the One Time Simon Startles Him Back

by Actual_Sleeping_Beauty



Series: The Bonds of Love [1]
Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell
Genre: 5+1 Things, Domestic Fluff, Like A Lot Later, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Post-Book 2: Wayward Son, Simon's wings are Important fight me, let Snowbaz be happy 2k20, no angst we have enough of that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:42:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 4,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23306995
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Actual_Sleeping_Beauty/pseuds/Actual_Sleeping_Beauty
Summary: I mean this is just an excuse to write fluff in which Simon's wings mess things up and show all his emotions. They are in love. It's great.Beta'd by the wonderfulWhat_Is_A_Mild_Opinion
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Series: The Bonds of Love [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1764703
Comments: 36
Kudos: 218





	1. Washing Up

I walk silently through the kitchen. Simon is standing at the sink, washing the dishes and humming quietly to himself. He’s so beautiful, silhouetted by the light. He prefers to only have the one directly over the basin on, says it lets him focus better.

I sneak a few meters closer to him before reaching out and lightly grabbing his tail, which had been swishing along the ground in rhythm to the song he was humming.

His tail flicks free of my hand as he whips around, startled. His wings flare out, catching some of the bubbles on top of the sudsy water. They cast the two of us in reddish shadows.

I wait until I see him relax (it takes a few seconds, which isn’t unusual) before I begin laughing. His wings drop slightly, and I barely have time to register that they’ve lifted again before he’s throwing a handful of bubbles at me.

“Sod off Baz,” he says, trying and failing to contain his grin, “and let me finish the washing up.”

I sit down at the table and wait for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this! I just love these boys, and I want them to be happy. But also, Baz will never stop bothering Simon for the heck of it.


	2. A Commission of Sorts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mordelia is an artist, and she sends her brother something she drew.

I grab the mail from the box and walk back to the stairs.  _ Garbage, garbage, how did these people even get our address? _ And then I see it, in a large, off-white envelope like she said. And then I’m sprinting, despite the fact that it’s undignified, and that my father would be appalled if he could see me.

I burst through the door to our apartment, looking for Simon, and then, like the ill-mannered fool he’s turning me into, I burst through the bathroom door.

He shrieks, his wings exploding out behind him and knocking over all the bottles.

“Baz! Maybe a little warning?” 

“It came Simon! It finally got here!”

“Yeah, great, can I finish my shower please? And then I’ll look at it, I swear.”

I leave, and true to his word he appears a few minutes later, wearing only his pants and towelling his hair dry. He still takes my breath away, even after all these years.

Mordelia’s art seems to have the same effect on him. He gasps and smacks me on the shoulder, his towel now dragging on the floor.

“Do we really look like  _ that _ ?”

She’s drawn us in pencil, asleep together on the sofa: Penelope took the photo and then sent it to her. One of his wings is wrapped around me, my head is resting on his bare chest, our legs are tangled together, and his tail is wound around my calf. I don’t remember this day, but it doesn’t look that out of the ordinary.

“I guess we do.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the love on the last chapter, I'm glad you're enjoying it! I wanted to show here that they're comfortable sharing their lives with each other and especially with other people. Also, I love Mordelia and wanted to include her somehow.  
> Thanks again!


	3. Snow?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Simon bakes, and Baz literally cannot help lurking.

Lazy Sunday afternoons are some of my favorite times. If someone had told me when I was a kid, suffering through being Snow’s roommate, that one day I would voluntarily spend most of my time with him, I probably would have hit them. Now I miss him after a few hours, and Dev says I “light up sickeningly” when he enters a room. I choose to ignore him, even though I know it’s true.

I get up from our bed. It cools too quickly after Simon leaves. I wander out to the kitchen where I can hear him puttering around. I pause and lean against the doorframe, watching him with a small smile. He’s listening to old Bruno Mars and humming slightly off-key. _I love him so much._

He spins around, looking for the sugar he’s left on the other side of the kitchen, and I see the disaster exactly two seconds before it occurs. You see, Simon is one of those bakers who likes to set out all of his ingredients in pre-measured quantities before he mixes them, so he can be sure of the amount if he loses track. So when he spins about, performing a sort of pirouette, he catches sight of me and loses his balance. And then, because he’s Simon Snow, he flings out his wings to try to catch himself, and knocks his bowl of flour off the countertop.

Flour goes everywhere, flying over the kitchen, covering him in white powder from head to toe. I’m standing on the other side of the kitchen, so I am spared. I let out a chuckle as his wings shake off some of the flour and he wipes it off his face with a dishcloth. I begin to laugh in earnest, and I see his eyes narrow for a second before he’s throwing a handful of flour at my face. He stands there, arms crossed, glaring at me defiantly.

“How’s it feel, Baz?” Now I’m laughing uncontrollably. He’s standing there, arms crossed, wings spread behind him, tail flicking through the dusting of flour on the floor, with more in his hair and all over his trackie bottoms. And then he’s laughing with me. We are ridiculous.

“Come on, love, hand me the broom.”

“Alright, but Baz, we’ve gotta shower after, I can’t take you seriously looking like that.”

“You’re one to talk. Your hair’s completely white.”

“And whose fault is that?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! This may be my favorite chapter so far. Also, fair warning, I started this before I had it completely planned out, so it may take a while for me to get the rest of the chapters where I want them. I hope not, because I'm really enjoying this, but maybe.  
> Thanks for all the love so far!


	4. Dracula and Being Ill

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A word to the wise: maybe don't try to scare Simon Snow. The wings alone could hurt you.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I haven't posted in a while, mainly because I like to have an idea of the next chapter before I post one, but it's been two weeks, which is ridiculous. So basically, I have no idea what the next chapter will be about, and next time I'll know to plan out all six chapters of a 5+1 instead of just five of them. My bad.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this! It's almost as long as the previous three chapters combined, so surprise!

I wake up to find the room dark and the bed cold. I open my eyes, but I can’t hear his heartbeat; I already know he isn’t in the room. I listen for a moment and identify the sound of the telly.

Now, of course I love Simon, and I would never hurt him. But that doesn’t mean that I won’t scare him for the hell of it.

I stand and walk to the door, and nudge it open as quietly as I can. It creaks slightly, but Simon doesn’t hear it. I pad out of the bedroom and down the hall, and pause in the opening onto the sitting room. Simon is sitting on the sofa with a blanket pulled up to his chin, his wings tented around his body, his profile illuminated by the movie. All the other lights are off, which is perfect for me. He squeaks after a moment, pulling the blanket up still higher. He’s going to pull it off of his feet if he keeps yanking on it.

I look at the telly and realize after a moment that he’s watching _Dracula_ , of all things.

Oh, the irony. I slip further back in the hall for a moment and let my fangs drop. It still feels odd sometimes to let them drop in the flat, even though he’s always telling me I should if I want to. Although, I don’t think he meant for me to use them like this.

I sneak back to the doorway and pause for a moment to look at him. He squeaks again, and the blanket is up to his eyes. I stifle a chuckle and begin to creep towards him, silent in a way that has frustrated him since we were eleven.

All of a sudden I’m looming at him out of the darkness, all fangs and hands clenched like claws, the picture of a vampire. He lets out an honest to God shriek, and before I can process what’s happening his wings are slamming into the sides of my head and I am on the floor.

My whole head is throbbing. The room is spinning and it’s making me dizzy, which I don’t think should be possible given that I’m laying down. I feel really bad. I feel like I’m going to be sick, maybe. I think that’s what this must be, but I honestly can’t remember the feeling.

“Ow.” Simon clambers off the couch in my peripheral vision.

“Oh my god, Baz, I’m so sorry _areyouokay_?” His face hovers over mine, and I’m pretty sure that he’s not supposed to have two sets of eyes, but honestly my head is too muddled to really remember.

“Ow, Simon.” His face is coalescing into one instead of two, and he looks so concerned, and underneath it all guilty. “Simon,” I try again, but my throat closes up. “Simon, I think I’m going to be sick.” He leans down without any hesitation and lifts me up, letting me lean on him. We walk to the bathroom, and he gently deposits me on the floor. And then he sits down next to me. Which is not supposed to happen.

“What are you doing?”

“Sitting with you after I gave you a concussion. Why?”

“Um, no. You have to leave. Just, I don’t know, go make tea or something.”

“No?” He says it like a question, but his eyes show that he’s made up his mind and there is absolutely nothing I can do to dissuade him. “This is the first time you’ve been sick since you were five, right?” he continues, not knowing that I’ve already given up. Besides, I’m suddenly feeling more nauseated than I can ever remember feeling. And then I’m vomiting into the toilet, and it’s horrible, all tinged crimson, and Simon is holding back my hair and rubbing my shoulders.

I take a breath, feeling instantly better. “Yes,” I whisper, and I’m sure he can’t hear me over the sound of the toilet flushing.

“Yes what, love?”

“Yes, that’s the first time I’ve been sick since I was Turned. Also, I feel much better now, is that normal?” He chuckles and buries his face in between my shoulderblades.

“Yes, love, it is.” I turn to face him and he studies me for a moment. “Okay, well, it’s a good thing you just woke up, because I can’t let you go to sleep for at least twelve hours now.”

“What?! Simon, you just gave me a concussion, shouldn’t I go to sleep immediately?”

“You truly know nothing about being sick.” He’s giggling, so I smack him. “It’s fine, it’s actually kind of fun to finally be the one with the knowledge. Come on.” He pulls me to the sofa, and I collapse into his side.

He coughs, and I look up at him. “Can I make a suggestion?” I nod, puzzled. “Maybe don’t sneak up on me from out of the dark anymore.”

I swat him again as he chuckles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it! I really appreciate all the love you've shown this fic.


	5. Late Night Frustration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Baz is frustrated and tired, and Simon knows him better than he likes to admit.

I’m trying so hard with this paper, but I absolutely cannot make sense of it, and I’ve been sitting here for an hour trying to start writing it. I glance up and see that Simon is passed out on the sofa. His book has fallen to the floor, and I mark the page closest to where I can figure he was before I set it on the coffee table.

I lift him up and carry him to our bedroom (super strength has its benefits occasionally.) The tip of his tail drags on the ground and his wings are slowly slipping from where he had them tucked. I lay him on the bed and kiss his forehead before I retreat back to the kitchen to give this damned paper another go.

And then it’s two-thirty in the morning and I’ve just started awake from where I fell asleep at the table _again._ I grab the nearest book and slam it on the table once, to let out some of my frustration. Then I decide that enough is enough and I can work on this tomorrow. I stand and walk toward the hall just as Simon comes barrelling into the kitchen.

He slams into me at full speed, and I’m knocked backward a few steps before I’m able to grab his shoulders and pull us both to a halt.

“What’s going on Baz? I heard a noise are you okay?” There’s a sense of urgency in his voice that doesn’t feel altogether warranted, until I remember that less than a minute ago I slammed the heaviest book I could find on our table. It probably sounded like I’d been knocked out and had hit the floor.

“I’m fine Simon, really.” He looks at me skeptically. “I slammed a book on the table and now I’m coming to bed.”

His eyes are finally coming out of their sleepy haze, and he says, “So no luck with the report, then?”

“Nope.” I pop the p, something I only do when I’m exceptionally annoyed. He raises his eyebrows. “Let’s just head to bed. It’ll still be waiting to torture me in the morning.”

“Love, you’ve got to stop staying up so late on these things. You’ll have it done in forty-five minutes tomorrow morning.” 

“I will not.” He chuckles and we walk back to the bedroom, both falling asleep as soon as we clambered into bed.

* * *

“Well?” He’s leaning in the doorframe to the kitchen, smirking, his golden hair all tousled from sleep.

“Shut up.”

He checks the clock hanging over the sink. “Thirty-nine minutes. Didn’t I tell you?”

I shoot him a glare and hand him his mug of coffee. “Shut up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for all the love! I'm not going to lie, I wrote this chapter at 2:30 when I was supposed to be writing a paper, so like, Baz is me in this chapter. Also, I just adore Simon being right in this instance. He's so smug.


	6. Simon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mordelia visits Simon and Baz for a day. She's a mess, I love her, and I had to get her in here more than in just Chapter 2.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I have been waiting to write this chapter from the beginning. Literally when I had the idea for this fic it was just Chapter 3 and this one. I'm so excited that I finally found the time to write it and I can't wait for you to read it. Because of this it's by far the longest chapter yet. So here you go!

**Simon**

Mordelia knocks on the door, exactly on time. It’s one of the things about Baz’s family that still freaks me out; I don’t understand how they always manage to be on time down to the minute. Then, of course, she marches in before I can open the door, because she’s Mordelia and she was hoping she could piss Baz off before she got in the flat.

“He’s still getting dressed, don’t bother.” She pouts for a moment, but stops the minute she sees the table.

“You made courgette bread! Snow, you’re the best.” I laugh as she marches over to the kitchen, looking for the bread knife.

Baz wanders out from the bedroom, calling, “Si, do you know where my shoes are?” He stops short when he sees Mordelia, who begins cackling. I frown at her, then look at Baz for clarification. He’s standing stock still and seems to be wishing he could redo the last fifteen seconds.

“You - you - Baz!” Mordelia is laughing so hard she can barely speak. Finally, she straightens up and speaks coherently enough to say, “Dev owes me ten pounds. I knew you’d slip up eventually.” 

“You couldn’t have warned me she was here?” I’m still looking between them, confusion written all over my face. He walks over to me and kisses the top of my head, then says, “My family has been betting on whether I shorten your name when we’re alone, since it’s only two syllables. Dev bet no, because I used to call you Snow. He thought Simon was already a pet name.” I scoff. “Personally, I was just trying to mess up in Daphne’s month, and I had almost made it.” At this, Mordelia scowls and sticks her tongue out, and I laugh.

“Well, your shoes are by the door. You left them there last night, don’t you remember? And leave your jacket, it’s warm today.”

“Thanks love.”

“So, now that you two are done being sappy, where are we going?”

* * *

We end up in a park with sandwiches purchased from a nearby deli, and as soon as she finishes eating, Mordelia pulls out her sketchpad. She flips to a clean page and glances up at the two of us every couple minutes, allowing her pencil to slowly form our faces on the paper. 

I nudge Baz after watching her for a few minutes. He’s lying flat on the ground with his eyes closed, his hair fanned on the blanket we brought at Mordelia’s insistence. ( _I’m allergic to grass, Snow!_ ) He is beautiful. I love him so much. He hums and opens one eye, squinting up at me. I shift my eyes over to his sister, engrossed in her drawing, and he sits up to look at what she’s drawing, quickly, before she catches him and clutches it to her chest.

He smiles, and I shift away from him in that moment. He doesn’t look up. He knows that I will always be there. We made that promise a long time ago, after America, after he told me, in no uncertain terms, that he loved me, and my breaking up with him was not, actually, good for him. I sift through my pockets, knowing I have seconds before Mordelia blows my cover.

And sure enough, fifteen seconds later, she glances up to swat Baz away from her sketchpad. “Baz, go, you can see when it’s d-” 

Her sentence dies on her lips; her eyes are wider than I’ve ever seen them. She goes to point at me, but Baz is already turning, looking slightly alarmed. Then he sees me, two feet away from him, on one knee, and his eyes are wider than Mordelia’s.

“Baz Pitch, will you marry me?”

There is silence for three seconds, and then Baz looks me right in the eye and says, “Simon Snow, you absolute wanker, I cannot believe you just did that right now.” Mordelia squeaks, and I laugh louder than I have any right to, given that I’ve just proposed. 

Baz continues, and he’s getting louder. “I mean, you couldn’t have waited another two weeks? I actually cannot believe you.” He’s glaring daggers at me.

Once I stop laughing, I say, “I’ve got to be honest, that’s not how I expected you to say yes.” He rolls his eyes. I shift back over next to him and kiss him gently.

“But he didn’t say yes.” We both look at Mordelia, who looks more confused than I’ve ever seen her.

“Yes I did.” Baz looks just as confused as Mordelia now.

“Actually, love, you didn’t. You were too busy being annoyed at me.”

“Well, of course I’ll marry you. That was implied, right?” He looks concerned, like he thinks he’s messed this up, and I can’t help but chuckle.

“Only ‘cause I know you so well. Do you want your ring?” I’m still holding the box.

“Yes.” He holds out his hand, palm up, demanding. 

“Nuh-uh, I get to put it on, those are the rules. You lost this round, and you get to do it whenever you’re asking me.” He huffs a sigh, but gives me his left hand and lets me put his ring on.

“It doesn't match yours. I told Penelope to make sure they match.”

“Penny doesn’t listen to you. Also, I may have already had this picked out by the time you gave her those instructions.”

“Wait, I’m confused.” Again, we turn to Mordelia. “You knew he had a ring picked out? Doesn’t that eliminate the point of a big proposal? Isn’t the point that it’s a surprise?”

“This was still a surprise,” I say with a smirk. Baz scowls in agreement.

“But then haven’t you been engaged since you agreed to get married?” Sometimes I forget that she’s only thirteen, that she doesn’t remember the first few years of our relationship very clearly. She doesn’t remember that we promised each other forever at age twenty, or that the past five years have been about convincing ourselves that we had the authority to make that promise.

This time Baz fields the question. “I suppose you _could_ think about it that way. I don’t. But I didn’t want to ask a question that important without already knowing the answer. So we talked about it one night, and decided we were going to get married, and I’ve spent this whole time trying to plan a proposal, and he did it before me, which is _exceptionally annoying_.” He shoots me a look, which I ignore.

“So you already knew he was going to say yes.” She looks satisfied now.

“He’d already said yes, and your brother doesn’t go back on his word. Plus, I knew he was going to be mad at me. But he still gets to do his proposal as long as you keep quiet, since you’re the only one who knows. I wouldn’t have gotten to do one if he asked first, because his is going to be a production.”

“How do you know that?”

“Penny was annoyed at you, and I asked why, and she said you were being a drama queen about the proposal, which was stupid, because I would have said yes if you asked me in a broom closet.”

Mordelia watches us bicker for a minute, then says, “So, Baz, can you just tell me what you want me to do for the proposal now then, or is it still a secret?” 

“Still a secret. He got to have his be a surprise, I want mine to be too.”

“I know you’re doing it on the twelfth.” He smacks my shoulder and Mordelia and I cackle.

* * *

We’re lying in bed that night when it hits me.

“Oh no.”

“What?” He looks up from where his head is on my chest. He’s taller, but I’m the one with the wings, so I’m always on the outside.

“Penny isn’t here. Baz, she’s going to _kill_ me. She told me she had to be there for the proposal.”

“This is just now occurring to you?” He’s trying not to laugh at me, I can hear it in his voice.

“Oh my god she gets back on the eleventh you scheduled it so she would be here. I am such an idiot.”

He’s outright laughing now. “This is what you get for proposing first.” He leans up and kisses me. “I still love you though.”

“That means nothing when I’m going to die in two weeks.”

“I’ll avenge your death.”

I laugh and kiss him again. “You’d better.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Agh, it's done! I hope you liked it!  
> So in my personal opinion, Simon has to propose first, because he's the spontaneous one and Baz will want to have it all planned out, and so he'll wait too long and Simon will finally have his chance.  
> Also, my lovely beta and sister, WhatIsAMildOpinion, made a very good point the other day, which is that there is one character who I adore who has not yet made an appearance in this fic, and there should totally be an epilogue where ~~she~~ they come back and give Simon hell for his spontaneity. So yeah I'm gonna write that, so this isn't quite done yet!


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Penelope gets home from her trip, and she has some thoughts.

**Baz**

I texted Penelope the next morning while Simon was fixing breakfast. It was the middle of the night in America, so I knew she wouldn’t see it until the morning. All I said was: _It’s official. Simon Snow is an idiot._

She texted back four hours later with: _that’s been official for a long time. what did he do now?_

I smirked, and, glancing up at Simon and Mordelia, who were putting together a puzzle, sent back: _He proposed._ The little whoosh my phone made was the only indication of the shitstorm about to occur.

The three little dots signaling that she was typing back showed on my screen for far longer than was necessary for the message she sent back. _what. the. fuck. i told him not to do that._

He caught me smirking at my phone and shot me a questioning look. I shook my head and then I was outright laughing at her next text. He walked over to my side of the table and groaned when he read the message.

_tell him, from me, that the next time i see him, he’s going to face my wrath. he knows i can get creative._

* * *

**Penelope**

Do I love Simon Snow more than my own brothers? Yes, of course. But also, I warned him ten months ago when Baz told me to make sure that their rings matched that if he proposed, he had better do it while I was nearby. I informed Basil that if he was going to make a scene, I needed to be there. And, true to form, Baz included me in his plans, and my dear, dear friend Simon didn’t. So now I’m going to have to break into their apartment and scare the living daylights out of him. It’s my duty, as best friend.

I texted Baz that I was coming so he wouldn’t curse me when I blasted open the door. Standing at the door of their apartment, I take a deep breath. Then I clutch my hand into a fist, point my ring at the door, and whisper **_open sesame_**. The door flies open, and Simon springs up from the sofa, his wings spreading out behind him. When he sees it’s me, his wings lower for a moment before he remembers to be scared.

“Simon _Alexander_ Snow, how _could_ you propose without me? You promised!” He looks like a deer in the headlights. From behind us, Baz snorts. 

“Alexander? Penny, you can do better than that.” I turn to face him with a huff.

“I’m extremely tired and really quite annoyed, Basil, could you lay off?” He lets out a chuckle, but sits back into the sofa to watch.

“Honestly, Pen, I didn’t even think about it, I just decided that I couldn’t let him ask me first one morning and that was that.” His blue eyes are so wide, and honestly, how am I supposed to stay mad at him? He’s my best friend.

“Simon.” I let out a sigh. “We had that conversation at least twenty five times before I left.” I shake my head and walk over to the sofa, collapsing beside Baz. Simon still looks nervous: his wingtips are hovering by his head, and he hasn’t taken his eyes off me.

“Well?” He looks at me blankly. “Come over here, you numpty. I’m not going to beat you up, you’re getting re-engaged tomorrow! Congratulations, by the way.” I turn to Baz, and say, “I know you won’t hurt him. But please, do take care of him. He can always use someone watching out for him. He’s a bit of a walking disaster.”

And then Baz chuckles, and Simon laughs and slouches over to the sofa to give me a hug, and I am home, with some of my favorite people in the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is the end of this fic, for sure now. I know several people have said that they would like to see Baz's proposal, and I totally agree, I want to see it too! However, it doesn't fit with this fic. I'm already pushing it with still calling it a 5 + 1, and I really do like it as is.  
> So will I write a Baz proposal? Yes. Will it be soon? Hopefully maybe? I have my last AP exam this Friday, so I'll have more time after that, but I'm also low on motivation right now, so who knows.  
> Also, when Penny (and to a lesser extent Baz) is annoyed with Simon, she invents a middle name for him so she can use three names. She has her favorites. Alexander is not one of them, that one she came up with on the spot.  
> Anyway, thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed our lovely Penny!


End file.
